Theme
Source Material Transformers: Robots In Disguise MUSH is an original theme that draws its setting, world and characters primarily from IDW's Transformer comics, such as More Than Meets The Eye, Robots in Disguise, and its various spin-off Spotlight series. Where IDW is unclear or undefined, or for the purposes of constructing a balanced and interesting game, we will also draw from Hasbro's Aligned continuity, which includes Transformers Prime, the Aligned Novels, the Covenant of Primus book, and the War For Cybertron/Fall of Cybertron video games. Characters and concepts from other Transformers series may be folded into the story, using IDW's timeline and setting as the primary source material - anything from other series needs to be adapted to fit that theme. Because we incorporate the stories, characters and concepts of our players, we will never be a 100% match to IDW cannon. That being said, we'll try to stick to it as closely as we can. For more information about Transformers in general, we recommend checking out the Transformers Wiki. Setting RiDMUSH takes place on Cybertron prior to the beginning of the Autobot-Decepticon war. This means that many characters you might be familiar with have not yet taken sides, and are living as close to a normal life as they can, but this situation will not last: The oppression of the caste system and Functionism - the belief that your altmode determines your job and therefore your lot in life - has created a growing movement of dissent. Corruption in Cybertron's governmental system has only made things worse. The political writings of Megatron, a miner from the city-state of Tarn, have fanned the flames of rebellion, and forced the paranoid Senate to crack down on the population through the use of martial law. With the beginnings of energon shortages on the horizon, civil war seems an inevitable outcome to the situation. For more detailed information, consult our news files on Cybertron's current society. Mood The general mood of the game leans more towards realism (within the confines of theme) and seriousness. While we have plenty of room for humor and happiness, those tend to be the exception more than the rule: We're telling the story of how a civilization begins to decay and collapse into millions of years of war. There's not a lot of wacky, goofy silliness in that kind of setting - it's Generation One Transformers for grown-ups. Rating Transformers: Robots in Disguise MUSH maintains an in-game rating of PG-13 as per the guidelines of the MPAA and follows the general rating standards of IDW'S Robots in Disguise / More Than Meets The Eye comic books in terms of language, violence and mature content. Out of Character areas, channels and other systems of communications maintain a relative PG-13 rating. Strong language and mature content should be kept to a minimum. Staff makes no guarantees that a PG-13 rating can be enforced continuously, and cannot guarantee the rating content of offsite web links shared by its players. Technology Technology generally has no hard limit on what it can achieve. We will only limit technological advances within the game to maintain a balance of power between the factions, or to keep things from degrading to a point of 'I can do anything I want to with my magic science'. We are not a hard sci-fi game - there is plenty of room to pursue things that would not be possible in the real world - but we attempt to base our scientific and technological knowledge on reality as much as is possible. As none of us on the game are thoroughly skilled in theoretical physics, we make due with what we know as best we can. Magic/The Supernatural Spiritual or genuine magical powers, spells, spirits and actual deities are not available for use on this game. Characters and stories are free to acknowledge the possibility of spiritual matters, higher powers and the unexplained, have religious beliefs and claim that some characters or concepts are deities, but said higher powers have no tangible effect on the game, in order to preserve a balance of power - for example, no one can summon gods or make pacts with spirits. Player characters may feel free to emulate the supernatural through the use of technology, and occasionally with the game, the unexplained may occur in tinyplots as story hooks. The Arthur C. Clark rule is in play as to the metaphysical within the confines of the game - it's technology so advanced it is indistinguishable from magic, whenever something "magical" or supernatural appears in play. Fortune tellers, priests, shamans, etc., are valid choices for characters but are not acknowledged to have genuine supernatural powers. No matter the species, there will be some technological or scientific explanation behind anything mystical. Outlier abilities are similar to "mutant powers" and have their own subsection of rules. No emulation of real world religious deities, or sacred beings/entities/people are allowed, especially on Cybertron. Cybertronian religions and religious practices may be similar in some ways to Earth faiths, but should not be a direct copy - there is no "Catholic Church" or "Buddhism", no Angels or Demons on Cybertron, who have no concept of these things. Mythological plants and animals used as altmodes are a part of the Primordial subgroup and have their own subsection of rules. Mature Subject Matter Because we have a more realistic and mature take on warfare, civilization and the psychological makeup of our characters, and because examples exist within the confines of our source material, they will appear on the game. We cannot provide trigger warnings on log files or in roleplay, but if players are sensitive to certain subjects, they can inform staff or those who roleplay with them so unpleasantness can be avoided. Violence Canon material contains a significant amount of mechanical "gore", but none is deliberately expressed towards human characters. Violence to organic beings (such as humans when they are introduced to the story) is to be kept to PG limitations. Violence towards robots, however, can get as realistic and detailed as is necessary. Drugs/Alcohol Cybertronians have many illicit substances which they use and abuse, and they appear in cannon and on the game. It is possible to have addicted or damaged characters from drug use. Similarly, they have a form of fuel known as engex 'which can cause them to behave in intoxicated ways thanks to FIM chips. Once disabled, a character is no longer able to become "drunk". Sex/Intimacy Cybertronians cannot engage in biological reproductive functions - they can't have sex like human beings. They can, however, engage in a form of psychological intimacy through direct neural interface (known as ''interfacing or just 'facing), which allows them to share experiences, emotions and physical sensations in a pleasurable manner; this level of intimacy comes at a cost. Alternately they can engage in more casual intimacy through physical manipulation of sensor points (think: massage), colloquially known as hardlining. These points are intended to allow players to develop interpersonal connections between characters and play out the effects of engaging in such. ''They are not intended as a substitution for tiny sex.' Graphic, "porny" descriptions of such encounters are grounds for disciplinary action. Language Cybertronians have their own unique set of perjoratives/profanityand players are encouraged to use them within play. Real world profanity is strongly discouraged - not only does it not make sense within the context of theme (it's four million years prior to coming in contact with human beings), it does not match the game's general rating. Crossovers/Alternate Universes Crossovers to completely different theme-universes ain't happening. Shattered Glass continuities may be used for a story arc at a later date, but will likely not become a permanent fixture of the game. Species At this time only the Cybertronian species is available to be played. Cybertron exists as part of a galactic community which includes other species, both mechanical and organic, and many characters have backgrounds that include travel to other planets and interaction with other characters. Due to the game's setting of four million years prior to real life time, the human species is not one of them. Space travel has been restricted in-game during the present time due to the enacting of martial law (known as the Clampdown), which means that interaction with other species and space travel should be considered off-limits for current play. Non-Cybertronian NPCs and characters are not available for use until the limitations of the Clampdown. Category:News Files